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IHDD Researcher Spotlight: Thanh P. Nguyen, Ph.D.
Thanh P. Nguyen, Ph.D., has spent her career addressing the challenges many families face when accessing autism services. As a postdoctoral scholar with the WA INCLUDE Collaborative, Dr. Nguyen focuses on improving equitable and culturally responsive care for families who have historically been underserved.
Dr. Nguyen co-directs the Collaborative Autism School Assessment and Development Efforts (CASCADES) program with Dr. Felice Orlich. CASCADES works to expand access to timely autism evaluations for children and families from marginalized backgrounds. For Dr. Nguyen, this work is more than a professional endeavor—it’s personal.
Growing up in a Vietnamese immigrant family, Dr. Nguyen saw firsthand how her parents, who spoke limited English, struggled to navigate healthcare and education systems. Advocating for her younger Autistic sibling became a central part of her early life and shaped her commitment to breaking down barriers for immigrant and refugee families.
Dr. Nguyen’s academic journey reflects her dedication to this mission. She earned her doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Massachusetts Boston and a master’s degree in special education from San Francisco State University. Her clinical training includes a predoctoral residency at the University of Washington School of Medicine on the autism and developmental disabilities track and a postdoctoral fellowship at the Seattle Children’s Autism Center (SCAC). Dr. Nguyen is also an alum of the UW Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) program and a recipient of the American Psychological Association (APA) Minority Fellowship Program award.
Dr. Nguyen’s research focuses on addressing systemic inequities and amplifying the voices of underserved communities. She examines the systems of care—schools, clinics, and communities—that support Autistic youth and their families, with a particular emphasis on Southeast Asian American immigrant and refugee families. Her work explores the intersection of race, culture, and disability on both the individual and family-relational level, striving to make autism services more inclusive and accessible.
Through her work with CASCADES, Dr. Nguyen is evaluating how school-clinic collaborations can improve outcomes for underserved youth and families. The goal of this model is to build partnerships between schools and healthcare providers to deliver coordinated, timely, and culturally relevant care across Washington state.
Outside of her professional life, Dr. Nguyen enjoys dancing with her child, cooking, and sharing meals with loved ones. She also channels her creativity through sketching, graphic design projects, propagating plants, and listening to music by the water.
Dr. Nguyen’s experiences and work highlight the power of lived experience in driving meaningful change. At the UW IHDD, we are proud to showcase her impactful research and the difference she is making for families and Autistic youth.
Thanh P. Nguyen, PhD, has spent her career addressing the challenges many families face when accessing autism services. As a postdoctoral scholar with the WA INCLUDE Collaborative, Dr. Nguyen focuses on improving equitable and culturally responsive care for families who have historically been underserved.
Dr. Nguyen co-directs the Collaborative Autism School Assessment and Development Efforts (CASCADES) program with Dr. Felice Orlich. CASCADES works to expand access to timely autism evaluations for children and families from marginalized backgrounds. For Dr. Nguyen, this work is more than a professional endeavor—it’s personal.
Growing up in a Vietnamese immigrant family, Dr. Nguyen saw firsthand how her parents, who spoke limited English, struggled to navigate healthcare and education systems. Advocating for her younger Autistic sibling became a central part of her early life and shaped her commitment to breaking down barriers for immigrant and refugee families.
Dr. Nguyen’s academic journey reflects her dedication to this mission. She earned her doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Massachusetts Boston and a master’s degree in special education from San Francisco State University. Her clinical training includes a predoctoral residency at the University of Washington School of Medicine on the autism and developmental disabilities track and a postdoctoral fellowship at the Seattle Children’s Autism Center (SCAC). Dr. Nguyen is also an alum of the UW Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) program and a recipient of the American Psychological Association (APA) Minority Fellowship Program award.
Dr. Nguyen’s research focuses on addressing systemic inequities and amplifying the voices of underserved communities. She examines the systems of care—schools, clinics, and communities—that support Autistic youth and their families, with a particular emphasis on Southeast Asian American immigrant and refugee families. Her work explores the intersection of race, culture, and disability, striving to make autism services more inclusive and accessible.
Through her work with CASCADES, Dr. Nguyen is evaluating how school-clinic collaborations can improve outcomes for underserved youth and families. The goal of this model is to build partnerships between schools and healthcare providers to deliver coordinated, timely, and culturally relevant care across Washington state.
Outside of her professional life, Dr. Nguyen enjoys dancing with her child, cooking, and sharing meals with loved ones. She also channels her creativity through sketching, graphic design projects, propagating plants, and listening to music by the water.
Dr. Nguyen’s experiences and work highlight the power of lived experience in driving meaningful change. At the UW IHDD, we are proud to showcase her impactful research and the difference she is making for families and Autistic youth.
